I have a 2002 mazda protege5 with 160k.
Recently the car has started doing two things:
There is a creaking noise in the front passenger area by the glove box. I am not exactly sure what is causing it. It mainly occurs at highway speeds, does not have a preference for temperature, and not caused by bumpy conditions. Sounds like plastic on plastic. So far Ive removed the glove box and the glove box panel, and tightened every screw I have seen, and removed the small lower panel by the passengers left foot. No change. I know I need to have someone drive me around so I can listen/play around in the area seeing if I can get the creaking to stop. Its too loud to just turn up the radio and forget it.
Supposedly an alternator whine. Whine is present at idle, gets substantially worse when headlights and/or A/C is on, and when accelerating/at highway speeds. Whine is not affected by steering, and is coming from the engine bay area around the alternator. Using a big screwdriver, Ive listened to components by each pulley, and the high pitched noise is emanating from the alternator. It can also be occasionally heard through the speakers. Its quite high pitched, my dad cannot even hear it. Its not a belt squeal, and whines even if the belt is loosened to the point of squealing. In an attempt to remedy this I have tried switching to gatorback belts, and changed the alternator twice. No effect. The 2 replacement alternators are duralast re manufactured from autozone. I assumed it was bad bearings, but none of the 3 alternator bearings make much noise when hand spun. Also all three passed autozones machine test. Its hard to believe Ive bought 2 bad alternators in a row. My current assumption is that something in the speakers/alternator is not grounded properly, and/or the connections are rusted. Unfortunately I do not know much about wiring, and the protege5 workshop manual is not clear on the locations of these points. If that falls doesnt yield results, I intend to try a fourth alternator new from rock auto.
So, are there any common creak points on the protege5? Or good troubleshooting methods for finding the culprit?
Also, how do I find the grounding wire, and grounding points of the speaker and alternator?
These noises are driving me insane, any and all help will be greatly appreciated!
One final thing. All four of my rocker panels are rusting. Its not horrible but will require weld repair. Is that something a shop can handle? I would love to fix it myself and not break the bank, but I cant weld :\ (I live in the NE)
Recently the car has started doing two things:
There is a creaking noise in the front passenger area by the glove box. I am not exactly sure what is causing it. It mainly occurs at highway speeds, does not have a preference for temperature, and not caused by bumpy conditions. Sounds like plastic on plastic. So far Ive removed the glove box and the glove box panel, and tightened every screw I have seen, and removed the small lower panel by the passengers left foot. No change. I know I need to have someone drive me around so I can listen/play around in the area seeing if I can get the creaking to stop. Its too loud to just turn up the radio and forget it.
Supposedly an alternator whine. Whine is present at idle, gets substantially worse when headlights and/or A/C is on, and when accelerating/at highway speeds. Whine is not affected by steering, and is coming from the engine bay area around the alternator. Using a big screwdriver, Ive listened to components by each pulley, and the high pitched noise is emanating from the alternator. It can also be occasionally heard through the speakers. Its quite high pitched, my dad cannot even hear it. Its not a belt squeal, and whines even if the belt is loosened to the point of squealing. In an attempt to remedy this I have tried switching to gatorback belts, and changed the alternator twice. No effect. The 2 replacement alternators are duralast re manufactured from autozone. I assumed it was bad bearings, but none of the 3 alternator bearings make much noise when hand spun. Also all three passed autozones machine test. Its hard to believe Ive bought 2 bad alternators in a row. My current assumption is that something in the speakers/alternator is not grounded properly, and/or the connections are rusted. Unfortunately I do not know much about wiring, and the protege5 workshop manual is not clear on the locations of these points. If that falls doesnt yield results, I intend to try a fourth alternator new from rock auto.
So, are there any common creak points on the protege5? Or good troubleshooting methods for finding the culprit?
Also, how do I find the grounding wire, and grounding points of the speaker and alternator?
These noises are driving me insane, any and all help will be greatly appreciated!
One final thing. All four of my rocker panels are rusting. Its not horrible but will require weld repair. Is that something a shop can handle? I would love to fix it myself and not break the bank, but I cant weld :\ (I live in the NE)
